IT’S ONLY THE IDEA IN ‘CHICKEN CURRY LAW’ THAT IS GOOD

Rating: 2/5

Shekhar Sirrinn’s story attempting to give voice to the voiceless through judicial system in India is loosely conceived

If only intentions make a good film, this one here would be a winner. But that’s not all. Chicken Curry Law, like many others, is a lesson on what poor execution can do to well-positioned ideas. The title explains that while the law is correct, the process of punishing the culprits is snail-pace, which needs to be addressed. However, in the narrative, they remain two different ideologies.

PLOT

A professionally trained belly dancer from abroad Maya (Natalia Janoszek) works in India. One day after her performance in a bar, she is brutally raped by two men- sons of Union Minister Sharad Joshi (Zakir Hussain). What follows next is her quest for justice in Indian courts through a dejected lawyer turned Pavbhaji seller Sitapati Shukla (Ashutosh Rana) and a social activist Satya Deshmukh (Nivedita Bhattacharya)

STORY/SCREENPLAY/GENERAL

Written by Sirrinn himself, the story in it’s basic heart is very good. It brings in an angle of nationalism as a whole by making a mention of a foreigner being molested in our country. It tries to give an insight on how Indian judicial system treats such a case.

With a disturbing and hard-hitting opening sequence, while it attempts to strike a dialogue, it’s unable to do so, because of laidback screenplay. What is a great idea in the mind is ruined right on paper at the screenplay stage, further stooping down on screen.

Watch the trailer here:

The scenes talk about all things important- ill mindsets of the people, loss of humanity, girls suffering due to gender stereotyping, and failure of the system in delivering justice among many others. But they just don’t get conveyed to you. Infact you don’t feel the earnestness. The dialogues are merely spoken by actors. You can feel that the actors themselves haven’t felt those notions, forget you being touched by them.

What is also weak is how the film looks. Remove the known faces from film and it will turn into a Bgrade entity. The makers have also not kept the courtroom drama high with thriller and the film seems reduced to a clumsy and low grade version of Pink.

Things happen too quickly. The hastened direction never lets you feel for any character. Neither do you feel Maya’s pain, nor are you convinced on why Sitapati gave up his law practice. Also, why do these brats act only when there’s an election round the corner? Why can’t the makers get away with such clichés?

PERFORMANCE

Natalia Janoszek is just okay. Being in the lead, she should have given a stronger act. She comes across as fake many times. She isn’t able to make you root for her. And in such a film, if you don’t sympathise with the victim, what’s the point?

Nivedita Bhattacharya is also good, but her character is underdeveloped. She does well though with what she’s required to do.

A scene from the film (image source: bestmoviecast.com)

Makrand Deshpande is over the top at times. Not expected from an actor of his calibre and stature. Zakir Hussain is also not very good, a disappointment again. Sad for Aman Verma that he has to settle in life for such trivial roles; with a poor act.

Point the writing here for never allowing the actors to express themselves well.

OTHER TECHNICALITIES

Songs by Sirrinn contribute well for the narrative. Background score my Amar Mohile is over dramatic. Half of the feel of the film is lost here itself. You just can’t get emotionally connected.

Suresh Beesaveni’s mostly shaky camera is on the lines of being ugly. Most of the times, the scenes look artificial and unconvincing. The shots most of the times are extreme close-ups , which makes you uneasy. Production design could be so much better. You feel you are watching a college production gone wrong.

Editing by Shadab Khan is plain and routine. Nothing to cherish.

You’ve had films on such topics before. Courtroom dramas, innocent ones being framed, spoilt brats getting free and all of that. This one here is not new. The only refreshing bit is the foreigner angle, which is indeed a good part of the film. But all goes in vain. Right from the start till the end, the screenplay is in shambles. And so is the film.

Rochak Saxena

Rochak Saxena a Mass Media Teacher, former journalist at DNA and an ardent lover of Hindi films - literally. The blog derives its name from the popular term ‘Willing Suspension of Disbelief’, most commonly used in the world of literature and cinema. Meaning to immerse yourself in an unreal world (where you know what you see on screen is fake) with a self-proclaimed/declared belief/wish to consider it real, the willing world becomes magical. It’s the same magic every Friday that drives Rochak to share things in the perspective that it needs to be observed with. Every film is different. And the difference needs to be cherished.